Hadja Kouyaté & Ali Boulo Santo "Manding-Ko" (2001)

Manding-Ko
release date: 2001
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]
producer: Jeff Sharel, Frédéric Galliano
label Frikyiwa - nationality: Senegal

Studio album of Mandé folk music by vocalist Hadja Kouyaté and kora-instrumentalist and singer Ali Boulo Santo. The music is not far from that by Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté, only I find this less mesmerizing, less musically vivid and simply less interesting.

Ayub Ogada "En Mana Kuoyo" (1992)

En Mana Kuoyo
release date: 1992
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5]
producer: Ayub Ogada, Richard Evans
label: Real World Records - nationality: Kenya

Studio album debut by, now England-based, Ayub Ogada is a quiet Lou folk, or African / Kenyan folk album with music of his Lou tribe. This is not Westernized African pop music but a subtle release with compositions in a fine traditional style. Ogada are credited as writer of most of the tracks. At first, the 10 tracks may sound almost similar, but one may realise that they are not.
The album is released on the Peter Gabriel-founded label Real World, which was intended for releasing world music as well as his own albums. Ayub Ogada also appears on two tracks on Gabriel's '92 album Us, as well as the live album Secret World.